When you name your restaurant "Pub 6," you're inviting comparisons to that regional chain restaurant with the similar name (plus 93).

But the new restaurant at the longstanding Sixth Bristol Club in the North End of New Bedford lives up to the comparison nicely — and the price, like the name, is a heck of a lot smaller than that chain-that-shan't-be-named.

OK. We'll name it.

It's Ninety-Nine, the place where folks across New England go to dine "» and dollars go to die. I've enjoyed my share of meals there, but the cost and quality really aren't anything to write home about — and there are any number of better, cheaper, more soulful options all around us.

Enter Pub 6.

The Sixth Bristol upgraded to a full-fledged restaurant in the fall under the leadership of veteran SouthCoast chef Jesse James, and has developed a winning formula — live music, good pub food that's remarkably inexpensive, and a friendly vibe.

My buddy Jon and I met in the parking lot behind the club on the Wednesday night before the Super Bowl, and went in. I'd never been in the Sixth Bristol Club before, and the interior was pleasantly dim and unassuming. The dining room has about 25 tables, most of which were filled on this night. Piano man Johnny Nicolaci Jr. was on the performance stage set into one wall, about to embark on a set of standards and hits. This was a welcome bonus — if you're keeping score between Pubs 6 and 99, I'll take a real musician over bland playlists of pop music any day.

Nicolaci started his set with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," and there were some couples dancing as Jon and I talked Super Bowl while looking at the menu. He predicted a hard-fought Ravens defensive victory, I thought it would be an offensive game that the Niners would salt away in the second half. We were both a little right.

After getting sodas ($2), Jon and I quickly agreed that the Mix 'Em Uppetizers ($7.50) would be the perfect starter. Pick three of any of their appetizers, get smaller versions on one plate. We went with boneless Buffalo tenders ($6.50 for a full order), homemade onion hoops ($3.50 for a full order) and loaded fries ($5 for a full order).

Lisa, our server, was pulling double duty at the bar, but she was up to the task and our food came out in a timely fashion.

Jon and I were both blown away by the quality of the plate. The onion rings were textbook awesomeness, thick cut, beer-battered, crispy, perfect. The loaded fries came with melted cheese, red onions and bacon crumbles, over fries that were already bursting with seasoned flavor. And the boneless tenders, which are made fresh from hand-cut chicken, were extremely good.

"If I lived in this neighborhood, I would pretty much be getting this on a regular basis," Jon said.

We were both fairly full by the time we were done splitting the appetizer, and we enjoyed the ambience and our chat while Jon drank a bottled Bud Light ($2.75).

If we had known how satisfying the apps would be, we probably would have gone with one of the salads for an entree (garden for $3, carne d'espeto for $9, chicken breast for $7 or crispy shrimp for $7.50).

Instead, we both went with fish, Jon getting the fish and chips and the fresh sea scallops for me. While Pub 6 isn't a dieters' delight, they do offer large and small versions of almost all of their entrees — we both chose the smaller portions, $6 for the fish and chips ($9 for full size), $10.50 for the scallops ($14 for full size).

Jon thoroughly enjoyed his fish and chips (I enjoyed my bite as well), and he made a note to point out the quality of the flaky white fillet inside. I didn't love the scallops — cooked in a casserole with butter, wine and crumb topping, there was a little too much of the wine flavor for my liking. But Jon thought they were excellent, and they were well cooked. A baked potato and slaw were the sides, and I could have added a soup or salad for $2.

Lisa said the chicken parmesan ($9) was a big favorite, and the folks dining to our left had a massive plate of fried clams ($13.50). There was a chicken-fried steak special ($11) that looked good as well.

Pub 6 also has a large sandwich and wrap menu, including the "Oh My Cod" ($7), the Texan farmer's melt (chicken breast, BBQ sauce, melted cheddar and bacon), and the B-B-L-T ($6.50) which promises a half-pound of bacon in every bun. All of them were served with fries, and there was the option to add extra sides for $1.75 each.

Although we were in no need of more food (with four happy scallops in a takeout box for Jon to give his wife), we did decide to order the fried Oreo sundae ($2.50). It was just a regular small ice-cream sundae, but came with a crispy, melted cookie on top. Did two grown men share it with two spoons? Sure we did. It's the 21st century, people!

When the bill came, I almost laughed out loud because it was so cheap: $32.05 (not including the one beer). It's tough to imagine going to any of the chain restaurants offering the same concepts for anything less than $50.

Jon's final verdict, as we got our coats on and headed toward the exit, was the same as mine: "Thumbs up all the way around."

Dine Out's reviewer visits restaurants unannounced and at his or her discretion. The Standard-Times pays for the meals reviewed. The reviews merely reflect one diner's experience. Ratings range from 1 to 5 stars.